this rain is only temporary
by feedingtheflames
Summary: Ichigo frets and struggles with his feelings when confronted with the prospect of competition. Yaoi/Slash. IchiIshi. Slight Keigo/Ishida and OC/Ishida.
1. freeze frame

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo. I am merely borrowing the characters and setting for the sake of yaoi.

"Just wait a moment, Ichi-nii!"

Ichigo halts during his movements to close the door, twisting his hand into a more comfortable position so it wouldn't cramp up. He was already running late for morning football practice, not that he was actually bothered, but the team had paid him, so it would be pretty unjust not to show up.

He waits a little longer, impatience starting to get the better of him.

"Yuzu, I gotta go, what is it? Do you want me to get you something after school? Is there -" A container is brandished in front of his face and he stops, remembering that he'd left it in the fridge last night.

"Oh. Right, thanks Yuzu."

"I can't believe you forgot about your lunch" His sister admonished, staring up at him with furrows between her brows and hands on her hips. "You won't be able to concentrate on an empty stomach, and then you'd make dad cry because of all your failed tests!"

Ichigo fights the urge to roll his eyes, jeez what's up with his _little_ sisters always trying to act like they were older than him. Shouldn't he be the one giving advice?

He reaches out a finger and pokes her on the forehead.

"You shouldn't frown so much at your age, you'll get wrinkles." Turning around, he starts to run on the familiar route he'd taken for the past few years. Yuzu's answering cry reaches his ears.

"You're one to talk!"

OoO

His elbow twinges for the sixth time so staring hard at the joint Ichigo finally locates the source of his annoyance. _Hm, seems to be a splinter lodged in there. Ah well._

His teammates swarm the locker room, chatting excitedly about the injury the goalie had gotten as well as debating what exactly the answer to question 7 is on a Biology test. Some of them pause in their movements to call out praise or ask if he was coming to the upcoming practices.

Shoving his towel into his locker, Ichigo trudges out of the gym after answering their questions half-heartedly; he struggles to remember whether the name of the last guy he'd replied to was Kai or Ken.

An eyebrow twitches in annoyance as he rounds the corner leading to his classroom, bumping into a younger student who squeaks after taking a look at his face. Ichigo watches them pick up speed and scoffs. It just so happened that his expression was a everlasting frown, for awhile he'd in fact tried smiling but that only seemed to increase the fear, it didn't help that this one time he managed to confuse the Karakura Superheroes into thinking he was Kon.

Knocking on the classroom door only greets him with silence so he steps into the room.

Empty.

Huh, so he'd actually come early for once. Fourteen minutes to be exact after a quick glance at the clock, he'd never been so early to anything in his life. He wasn't sure if he liked it.

After a minute or so, distant sounds rouse him from where his head lays pressed against his desk. Looking towards the open window, he moves closer and immediately matches faces to the voices he hears conversing in low tones - Chad and Ishida.

Instinctively, he lowers his reiatsu further to peek down at the duo standing secluded by an old tree.

"- Sado-kun, you can't possibly be thinking that I tell him." Ishida is flustered, more so than Ichigo has ever seen him. "I would never humiliate myself like that on purpose."

Chad speaks slowly but firmly in answer, surprising Ichigo. If Chad was giving advice then this must be important.

"You'd be surprised at what he'll say."

A quick shake of the head leaves hair to come loose form behind the Quincy's ear, Ichigo's eyes linger on the way the strands frame that slender looking visage. He almost doesn't hear the other boy respond as he recalls that face unguarded, raw with emotion, so far from the usual rigid manner.

If only he could obtain that for himself. The openness.

"I wasn't planning on telling him...and I won't. It's better this way." Ishida's tone has changed into something Ichigo can't place.

"You mean it's easier this way, to not risk rejection. Feelings like this shouldn't be kept to one person, so please talk to him."

Chad gives the shorter male a long measured stare before flicking his eyes upwards. The Shinigami barely ducks in time, moving back into his seat.

 _That was close._

Feelings like this? Rejection? That sounded like...

OoO

The lesson is his favourite, an insight into character analysis of Shakespeare's Hamlet. He should be giving his all in staying alert and engaged but somehow a different stream of words flutter about at the forefront of his mind instead of the ones on the board.

Ishida liked someone. Ishida _liked_ someone. As in, he had feelings for someone. In fact, he liked a guy. Though, that didn't seem at all unexpected.

He lifts his head from staring at his notebook, from where he'd scrawled randomly to make it look like he was working to glower at the back of that raven head, eyeing the sleek locks and narrow shoulders. After staring for a while longer those shoulders stiffen, causing a smirk to appear on Ichigo's face. It was so easy to rile him up. Fun too - even when Ishida managed to rile him up in return.

But who did Ishida like?

The smirk disappears.

Chad? No, it couldn't be. It would be way too risky to ask for relationship advice from the guy you liked. Or at least, that's what he'd seen in a drama Yuzu had made him watch. Besides, he was sure that they were speaking about someone else. The feeling had seemed genuine on the Quincy's face, and for some reason that annoyed him. Why would Ishida like some guy? It couldn't be someone in this classroom right?

For the first time in months, Ichigo focuses on the individuals sitting in their chairs.

Studying them, he concentrates on exactly what traits they may have that appeal to the Quincy, was it something in their personalities and looks? Trying to figure it out is troubling itself; because Ishida is always maintaining a gracious facade to everyone he spoke to...everyone excluding himself it seemed.

Bleh. As if he wanted Ishida to be nice to him.

Copying down a few bullet points he goes back to his observation after grimacing at his handwriting. _Looks like I'll be spending more time trying to decode what the hell I've written rather than actually doing homework. Ah well._

Mizuro? Whether it was due to all those girlfriends the guy had or because he didn't seem Ishida's type, it just didn't ring any bells. Didn't Ishida once introduce an upperclass girl to him too?

What about that guy in Ishida's archery class? The one who the Quincy spoke regularly to? He was tall and muscular and looked similar to Renji, so maybe that was Ishida's type. But didn't that guy already have someone...

Keigo? This one made Ichigo pause.

After it was discovered that Ichigo's friends were being affected by his powers, everyone had decided to be let in on knowing about Soul Society and what went on (with Tatsuki aggressively needling him about the dangers he'd brought to Orihime).

And as much as it relieved Ichigo to be free of the burden of keeping his part time job a secret, it baffled him too. Urahara had insisted on having everyone stay close knit and offered work placements in his shop with a sly demeanour.

As stupid as the offer was, Keigo accepted and was placed into working shifts with Ishida. And Ichigo wouldn't have known how well the two were getting along if it hadn't been for Urahara, who remarked constantly about them with specific looks in Ichigo's direction, once he'd given a strange line: "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer". Oddly enough, Urahara's weird line would echo in his mind so he made frequent trips after school to the shop, much to the ex-Shinigami's amusement.

 _Man, but Ishida could like anyone though._ There were tons of guys he'd meet working at the shop too. Lost in his thoughts, Ichigo comes up with another consideration before he can stop it.

Maybe Ishida liked – no, no. Not going there.

OoO

Curious looks are thrown at him as he waits outside the classroom, hands in his pockets, back pressed against the wall.

Ichigo watches the door with feigned casualness, though inwardly he fumes at how long the other is taking. The rest of his classmates had cleared out instantly after the bell rang but the bespectacled boy had remained in his seat to speak to the teacher, neatly placing his things in his bag so unlike Ichigo's crammed booklets and stationary.

He's sure he's bent half the pages in his haste.

After what seems like aeons Ishida finally comes out...and proceeds to walk right past him, eyes locked onto his phone.

"Hey." He tries to make his tone amicable but some of his annoyance at having to wait so long leaks into the word. The Quincy looks over his shoulder, waiting for him to continue.

"Come have lunch with us on the roof."

Ishida rolls his eyes and sighs.

"You could at least phrase it as a question Kurosaki."

" _So?_ Is that a yes?"

Ishida sighs again, shifting his bag on his shoulder.

"I can't."

"What, why can't you? We're your friends aren't we?" Ichigo's tone has now become defensive; he pushes off of the wall to stand in front on the other, continuing to keep his hands in his pockets.

"Just because you happen to be my friends doesn't mean I have to follow you on your every whim Kurosaki."

"Well, why can't you?"

"Why can't I what? Follow you on your every whim or have lunch with you?" Ishida's hand comes up to push his glasses upwards. The glint of his silver bracelet catches Ichigo's eyes, half hidden underneath the dark sleeve of Ishida's sweater and he is suddenly reminded of how much he dislikes it when Ishida hides himself behind that motion.

"I obviously meant the second one dammit Ishida!"

"Keep your voice down Kurosaki." Ishida sighs once more, this time in exasperation. The trickle of students walking down the corridor has stemmed, but the few who do remain cast wary looks in their direction. Two girls are whispering excitedly to one another, every five seconds they curiously steal a look at them.

"Stop sighing!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Then don't tell me to keep my voice down!"

"Fine, I'm leaving." Ishida moves around Ichigo to exit the corridor's doorway but a grip on his wrist stops him in his tracks and forcefully spins him backwards.

Ichigo doesn't mean to pull so hard but evidently he has underestimated his strength, the shorter boy's phone lands on the carpet with a dull thud, facing upwards while he himself stumbles into a warm chest. The Shinigami reacts, wrapping an arm around his waist to steady him.

One of the girls lets out a strangled squeal, much to his confusion.

They stay frozen, standing there like that. Every fibre of Ichigo's being says he should do something, say something, but a clear command has yet to enter his mind. His thoughts stutter like white noise and it's only the sharp slap of reality that draws him out of his state.

Ishida is pushing away from him, furiously tucking his hair back from his face to glare openly at him. The Quincy opens his mouth, no doubt to berate him on unwanted physical contact but is interrupted by a familiar notification sound.

They glance down at Ishida's screen, which buzzes highlighted with a text and Ichigo catches sight of a name before it's picked up.

Ishida looks as if he wants to continue but instead focuses back on his phone.

"We'll speak later Kurosaki."

The Shinigami is left stationed still with a hammering heart, wondering. _Just who the hell is Kenji?_


	2. show me a sign

The air is cool.

It doesn't bite at the skin but Ichigo knows if he touched his face, it would feel as if a mirror was moulded beneath flesh, alien, numb and excessively smooth. His breath streams above him like smoke from a faulty cigar and he leans his head backwards, eying the disarray of clouds. His lunch lays unfinished beside him and the chatter of his friends can only be heard as distant buzzing.

The Quincy's refusal in the past hadn't bothered him as much as it did now, now that it was paired with something else.

Ishida had always blown him off for the sake of pride (usually after an argument) or his sewing club, but today's occurrence had him seemingly doing it for someone else's sake. It pissed Ichigo off, being brushed off like that, well that and the way Ishida had been staring at the message on his phone as he hurried away. What was so great about this Kenji prick anyway?

"Oi, oi Ichigo." Something pokes hard into his arm and he turns to see Tatsuki glowering at him behind an extended chopstick. "You tryna escape into the clouds or something? Stop sulking, you can't have done that badly on the exam, right? Knowing you, you'd probably get good grades without revising."

"Ah, I'm sure you didn't perform as badly as Asano-san." Mizuiro chimes in, smiling sweetly at the boy sitting next to him, who squawks indignantly, beginning to flail.

"What are you even _saying_?!" The smile remains on the small statured boy as he's shaken by the arm. "I actually did well _and_ I revised beforehand. Stop acting like I'm stupid!"

"Ha, but you are!" Tatsuki taunts, pulling the brunette away from Mizuiro and into a headlock. "We all know you're dead last, perv."

"You're just jealous I won't perv on you. It's because you look like a man. A _man_! _Kyaa_ -" His voice transforms into a cry as knuckles rub hard into his scalp.

Orihime looks worriedly between the squabbling pair and himself, caught between soothing Keigo and Tatsuki's egos or asking questions. Already, she had seen through him and guessed the cause of his bad mood. Looking to her right, she fixes Chad with a pleading look, who nods, standing up slowly.

"Class will be starting soon." With those words said, he makes his way to the rooftop's door and soon, the others follow, Keigo's head still trapped under the martial artist's arm.

Last to leave is Orihime, lingering by his side, hands clasped together.

"Kurosaki-kun. Um, you know, Ishida-kun has been very busy lately. With the sewing club and his archery classes, not to mention exams. It must be stressful, because he always wants to do his best, even be better than best." Bright eyes look at him hopefully. "But I'm sure he'll join us for lunch soon, when he's not busy. I'll make something yum too, that way he'll join us every day!"

Looking at her beaming smile, Ichigo doesn't have the heart to tell her Ishida is more likely to get food poisoned then change schools to escape.

Instead, he smiles back.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will."

Glad to have cheered him up, Orihime twirls to the door with a wave, telling him he should get to class soon. Spirits raised, Ichigo reasons that Ishida really must be busy and that this Kenji guy is just someone he's helping with homework.

Peering through the rooftop railing, he takes a moment to watch students re-enter the school.

Something catches his attention.

Eyes zeroing on the familiar flash of lens and windswept hair, his mood instantly plummets at the sight of another figure. This guy is obviously in his personal space, yet Ishida doesn't seem to mind, allowing the closeness with a smile. A smile! Ishida rarely smiles at him, yet this person has easily instilled a good mood from…taking his glare from the Quincy's lips, he notices how the two are holding hands.

Wait, what?

The dark-haired stranger stands with his back to Ichigo, Ishida's bare hands grasped within his own, which are adorned with brightly coloured gloves. The two speak for a bit, the stranger rubbing Ishida's hands to keep them warm all the while, making Ichigo seethe, he knew that the Quincy got cold easily but wasn't he annoyed, being babied like this?

 _Maybe he likes having his hands held_ a voice slyly glides at the back of his head. He ignores it, keeping his attention on the duo.

Ishida's companion says something that makes his eyes widen and to Ichigo's oddly misplaced relief, the two break away from one another, heading into the building for class.

Ichigo remains on the rooftop, pulse rushing as anger commences to empower his thoughts.

 _So_ , Ishida hadn't been hard at work at all. Instead of being with his friends, he ditches them to hold hands. Instead of accepting his invitation, he was acting all cosy with some shithead - someone who the Shinigami now realises must be Kenji.

It wasn't only that, he's on a first name basis with the guy, listing him as 'Kenji' in his contacts. Tch. Knowing Ishida, the damn Quincy probably listed himself as 'Kurosaki' or 'Shinigami'. Or maybe he wasn't in his contacts at all. The thought makes his stomach sink.

 _Just what is Ishida playing at?_

Spirits low, he feels the same way he did earlier. Undeniably over his head.

OoO

A blockade between himself and freedom comes in the form of detention – he'd spent so long on the rooftop – and now his agitation was climbing skyscrapers and getting ready to jump right off. To fall and sink into even more agitation.

He just wants to go home.

Nodding impatiently at his teacher's final reprimands, he makes his way towards his shoe locker. Busy swapping his school shoes for his usual trainers, the Shinigami doesn't take much notice of the student that brushes past him to exit out the door.

"Hey! I hope you haven't been waiting too long, Uryuu-kun." At the mention of his friend, it takes all his willpower not to peer around the row closest to the exit, standing motionless as he listens for a response to the upbeat greeting.

"Not at all. I was speaking with a teacher, so I just got here a few minutes ago." The familiarity in that tone bothers Ichigo for some reason.

"In that case, shall we go now?"

Listening as their footsteps fade, Ichigo emerges to watch them head towards the school gate. The sight of Ishida walking side by side and friendlily chatting with Kenji makes his thoughts buzz unpleasantly with questions. One question stands strikingly bold.

Were they…going on a _date_?

A better question was - should he follow them?

OoO

What kind of date was this?

He'd been shadowing them for about twenty minutes now and all they were doing was _talking_ , Ishida explaining something by the looks of it, considering Kenji was nodding along and paying attention to the gestures the other boy was making with his hands.

Fighting the urge to yawn, Ichigo tries to quell his boredom. It wasn't very interesting when he didn't know what they were discussing, for all he knew, Ishida could be telling Kenji what colour napkins he wanted at their wedding!

…okay, maybe not. But the point was that Ichigo was starting to regret his current life choices. The two of them were doing nothing to confirm his suspicions.

The pair then take a turn towards the shopping district, to which Ichigo speeds up, not wanting to lose sight of them. Turning the corner, he barely stops himself from rolling his eyes when he catches them walking into a certain shop.

 _Of course._

Typical Ishida. Only he would take his date to a sewing store. Settling down onto a bench half-hidden from the store's line of sight, Ichigo takes his phone out in hopes of looking busy. If Ishida comes out and happens to notice him, then he'd just say that he's shopping for groceries or something.

Glancing into the shop's window he notes how animatedly Ishida was acting, or at least, it was animated for Ishida. With Kenji, he was continuously looking at the other, smiling over the different fabrics, clearly happy.

 _Ishida must really like him._

He begins jostling his leg up and down, tapping his nails on the bench's armrest, trying and failing to ignore the uncomfortable lump in his throat. With himself, Ishida was always frowning or annoyed, being condescending or distant. Alright, so there were times when Ishida was easy to get along with, but that was usually when they were with the rest of their friends. When it was just the two of them, there was some weird barrier in place.

And more recently, Ishida was being even more distant. It was driving him near insane.

Taking a look back into the store, his resolve weakens at the sight of Kenji crowding Ishida against a shelf, laughing and trying to place a ribbon in his hair. Ishida was pushing his hands away, but from what it he could tell, the attempts were half-hearted.

He gets up, shoving his phone into his pocket.

Right now, he really just wants to go home.

OoO

He collapses into his bed.

After his brief stint of being a stalker, he'd run into a group of hollows. He should be able to sleep easily after that, but sleep just wouldn't come his way.

Since the moment he'd left Ishida and that Kenji shithead, he felt strange, he felt oddly drained. It was starting to become apparent that this tiredness was something sleep couldn't cure. Even though he'd gotten the information he'd come for by following Ishida, even though he'd found out who Ishida liked…

Somehow, it felt like he was giving up.

But more importantly – why did he care so much?

A/N:

ichigo: should I follow them?

me: don't

ichigo: *follows them*

me: wtf man

also me: *casually pretends I didn't take a whole year to update* I'm sorry


	3. hit and run

The sound of rain continues to hammer against his window even as the coils of oblivion slip away.

Ichigo grabs hold of the pillow that isn't laying beneath his head and shoves it over his face, resisting the urge to scream into it. If only he could let the Hollow take control over his body and get it to smother him. He'd barely slept a wink last night, instead tossing and turning with his head feeling as if it'd been stuffed with bricks.

And once he'd actually managed to fall asleep, he was greeted by a weeping grey sky, reflecting his hesitancy and confusion back at him as if it were an abyss. Why does it insist on haunting him in both the dream world and reality?

As his eyes become too heavy to stay open and start to shutter, his door slams open, a figure bounding in uninvited.

"Ichigooo!"

He doesn't bother moving when the figure lunges at his prone body with a flying kick, instead pressing the pillow closer until it became more difficult to breathe.

The anticipated attack doesn't come.

"Ichigo?" The confused voice is shadowed with a hand snatching the pillow from him and Isshin's face peers down at him with wide eyes.

"Get out of my room, old man." Trying to ignore his dad, he turns his back to him by rolling over.

"B-but you didn't try and kick me back. Don't you love me anymore?" A finger starts to insistently poke into his back. "You're being weird. You're always out of bed at this time. Are you sick? Daddy will make you some chicken soup and feed it to you!"

Knowing that he won't be left alone now, he sits up with a growl, smacking the hand aside. The hand refuses to make a retreat and grabs his chin, turning his face this way and that, dark eyes scanning his countenance with determination. After some awkward seconds of Ichigo contemplating punching Isshin in the throat, the ex-Shinigami gasps, reeling backwards.

"Could it be?! My son is lovesick."

The teen blanches.

"The hell are you on about old man?!

"Eeeeh, could it _be_? Cute Hime-chan?" Flapping his hands, the older man starts to prance around the room.

"What are you saying? Stay away from Inoue, you creep!"

"Ichigo, what are you implying? You of all people should know my heart belongs to Masaki and Masaki _only_ , ahh my love, our son has finally found someone~" With a wail, Isshin flies out of the room, no doubt to cling tearfully to his mum's portrait.

Rolling his eyes, his thoughts start to race at the man's departure.

 _Lovesick…I…don't even know what you're saying, old man._

Later, when Ichigo comes downstairs, he heads straight for the exit.

"I'm going out now."

OoO

He'd spent most of his morning wandering around the park, kicking up wet leaves with his hair flattened by the rain, feeding some ducks with chips, but his feet eventually take him to the cause of his downtrodden disposition.

Ichigo can hear Keigo talking loudly as he stands outside Urahara's shop, questioning if he should go inside or not. Urahara himself wasn't there, instead running on some business with Tessai doing god knows what. Ururu and Jinta were no where to be seen. Looks like the responsibility of the shop had been left in hands of two students.

"Yo…yo Four-eyes? Oi… _oi_. Are you listening? The lack of attention you're giving me today is killing me."

"What is it, Asano?" Comes Ishida's reluctant acknowledgment.

"It must hurt."

"What must hurt?"

"I mean, I could help you take it out. It's no problem, though I might have some difficulty."

" _What_ must hurt?

"That stick up your ass."

A moment of silence commences.

"…I'm afraid you'll have to oil up your fingers first, Asano. It's more than likely that an entire bottle of lube will be used up."

Keigo is sniggering into his folded arms when Ichigo storms inside.

"Yo, Ichigo!" He calls out cheerfully at the sight of him, straightening up from his slouched position on the counter. The Shinigami's attention immediately falls upon the crouched Quincy re-stocking the shelfs, fuming at how the smile slips of those lips as their eyes connect.

The words are spat out before he can stop himself.

"Should you really be flirting with other guys when you have a boyfriend?"

Ishida's mouth falls open in shock, abandoning his task as Kenji starts to laugh awkwardly.

"C'mon man, we were just joking around-" he tracks off when he notices the other two boys are too focused on each other to pay him any mind.

"Boyfriend? What nonsense are you blabbering about, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo's face reddens with frustration as he swipes his wet hair back from his forehead.

"Don't lie about it, Ishida. I saw his name on your phone _and_ saw the two of you at that dumb sewing store you like so much. Hell, you were even _holding hands_ with him the other day at school." Ichigo's voice had risen intensely as he spoke, expelling the words out as if a weight was being lifted from him. "Why keep him from us? You blew us off just to be with _him_?"

"Kenji?"

"Yes!"

"You're talking about _Kenji_!?

"I just said so Ishida!"

"Kurosaki, you _idiot_. He isn't my boyfriend."

"You-what…"

Lips pressed together, Ishida's anger soon surpasses his own.

"Not that it's _any_ of your business who I hang out with," The Quincy says, stressing his words painstakingly "but Kenji-san was too embarrassed to join the sewing club, so I offered to help him outside of class. He wanted to make something for his mother's birthday which is _why_ we were at the sewing store. Satisfied?"

Ichigo isn't satisfied.

"He was holding your _hand_."

"Because I _forgot to wear my gloves!"_

"You were letting him!"

"Because he's my _friend_ Kurosaki!" Ishida's fists are clenched at his sides now. "What is your problem? You come in here and start accusing me of things that aren't true, then you let it slip that you've been following me around."

Cerulean eyes, like frozen chips of ice, narrow at him with distaste.

"Get out. I'm seen enough of your stupid face today."

"Ishida…" Ichigo bites his lip, unsure of what to do or say.

Ishida ignores him, turning his head away as if he couldn't stand the sight of him.

Swallowing the guilt and misplaced relief he feels, the Shinigami turns around to leave, avoiding the thoughtful looks Keigo keeps shooting his way.

OoO

The playground was empty, save for a lone figure who stood with his head tilted backwards, neck uncomfortably stained, staring at the darkening clouds above him. His fingers clutched the railing of a roundabout which helped him keep poise. His fingers were chilled, though he did not seem to take notice, the tightness at which he held onto the pole of metal had left a certain numbness which spread to the rest of his body, causing him to shiver.

The figure continued watching the murky grey shapes fuse into one another, a thought came forth to him, absentmindedly he went over it:

"It looks like it will rain again."

The voice spoke quietly behind him, coming alongside the sound of a jacket being unzipped.

The figure jumped, slightly startled by the sombreness encompassed to the usually cocky and overblown tone. Looking ahead, he wondered why the other boy was here.

"You'll get cold, Four-eyes, if you keep standing out here like this."

Footsteps sounded behind him and a sudden warmth settles around his shoulders, the smell of cherry gum and expensive cologne heavy in the air, the fluff of the hood tickles his cheeks as it lay enclosing his neck. Uryuu turns around, surprised at the gesture and faces the other.

"Asano-san" he greets.

Looking over Keigo's expression, he takes note of the creased eyebrows and downturned lips – resulting in an eerie resemblance to their Shinigami friend.

"Listen, Four-eyes, I know it's weird that I followed you and all but I just came to, well-" he cuts off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he seems to debate with himself but eventually sighs and shrugs. "Ichigo didn't mean to insult you, with what he said earlier. I should know, considering I say stupid shit all the time. He must be kicking himself right about now. I guess he was just worried, and frustrated and-"

Ishida cuts him off this time, his words chilled, "Just what point are you trying to make? Why did you bother coming up here?" The dark-haired boy turns back to observing the sky, annoyance building up. _Hurry up and leave me alone already._

"You guys fight all the time Ishida, but earlier, that really got to you huh."

The aforesaid found himself stiffening, then burrowing down into the lent jacket. _Since when did Keigo take such notice of me?_ He wondered.

His unwanted companion came to stand beside him, arms resting on the railing and body relaxed. Keigo turned and smiled a familiar goofy smile at him "Aha. Bet you're wondering why I'm suddenly a pro at observation, huh?" His cocky tone was soon transformed into a more hesitant and uncharacteristic one. "Actually, I'm usually observant, I know I don't seem like I am, I guess I have to constantly stay hyperactive. Because if I don't, people will wonder what's wrong with me and ask why I'm upset." He rubs the back of his head self-consciously.

Watching a mother grab her toddler as the child attempted running into the playground, Ishida listens to the boy with interest; he'd never seen this side of him before.

"In fact, it's kind of tiring sometimes, to crack jokes and act silly just because everyone now expects it from me. But honestly, I don't mind, if I'm able to put a smile on someone's face, I'm down with it."

Keigo now turned to Ishida, who flushes slightly at the dark eyes boring into his own.

"Say, Ishida, do you continue to distance yourself from Ichigo because it's expected of you? Is it what you expect from yourself? You're probably so used to being cool and collected, on your own, that you push away those who want to get closer so you act like a total tsundere, which is actually kind of cute." Keigo winks. "But hey, maybe you should give us a chance, especially Ichigo. I'm pretty sure it's hurting his feelings when you reject his offers to hang out, you know? We want to be your friends so stop pushing us away."

Ishida thought the words over in his head, turning away and biting his lip, eventually saying with feigned disinterest "Who are you and what have you done with the real Keigo Asan-"

"He's also jealous." Keigo interrupts.

"What!?"

Ishida jumps as if electrocuted, head whipping around to ogle the brunette, a strange hope rising within him. He fiercely tries squashing it down to a pulp, yet the tiny spark starts to grow into a flame.

"C'mon man, didn't you notice how possessive he was acting. Like, if he ever ran into Kenji, he'd probably knock the shit out of him unprovoked."

"I'm not sure what you mean." The Quincy tries to hide his feelings, pushing his glasses upwards.

"Eh, really? Well, that's enough advice for one day then, I'll head home now. You can give me my jacket tomorrow – I've got an umbrella anyway."

"W-wait, explain yourself!"

"You'll figure it out on your own, four eyes…I hope!" With a wink, Keigo bounds off the roundabout, waving over his shoulder with a "See you at school!"

Little droplets fall from the sky, gradually gaining speed. Uryuu sits there for a while, enfolded by the jacket, warm despite the chill in the air.

OoO

Ishida was having lunch with them today.

And ignoring him too. Ichigo tried catching his eye several times but the other boy was acting like he wasn't there at all.

All he really wanted to do right now was get Ishida to talk to him alone, so at least so he could apologize for jumping to the wrong conclusions. There were other things he wanted to discuss but he was having some trouble pinpointing what exactly he needed to say.

But first things first – the Quincy had to be cornered before he could get away.

Staring fixatedly at Ishida as he conversed with Orihime, Ichigo willed the other to react for the billionth time today. His efforts were in vain. Ishida continued on without stiffening, or flinching, or glaring, or making some scathing remark. Feeling dejected, Ichigo starts to brood, chewing his food without really tasting it. He almost doesn't hear Keigo addressing the group.

"Oi, oi you guys," Keigo waves his arms about impatiently "I was thinking, next week after the exams, that we should go camping together for a day."

"Eh? Camping…" Orihime's chopsticks are poised near her mouth mid-bite, turning to the brunette with wonder. "I've never done that before."

"I have." Tatsuki declares. "It's pretty useful, you learn how to survive in the wilderness and make do with rations."

"Woah, we're not camping in a jungle or anything. It's a place that's popular with campers, so we won't be in danger at all. C'mon guys, it'll be fun. I already asked Mizuiro and he said yes."

Tatsuki sighs disappointedly while Orihime thrusts her hand up.

"I'm going!"

Chad raises his hand too.

The martial artist shrugs.

"Guess I'm coming as well."

Ichigo had already made his mind up the second Keigo had opened his mouth. There was no way he could go, hell, he didn't even want to. Not with all this crap going on.

"I'd like to come."

Surprised, the Shinigami starts at Ishida's voice.

If Ishida was going, then there was a chance to apologise and make amends. If Ishida was going, then they couldn't really make a scene in front of their friends. There was a chance Ishida would agree to listen, with Orihime there to keep the peace.

"Ichigo?" Keigo focuses on him expectantly.

Mind racing with all the scenarios that could transpire, Ichigo changes his answer.

"Yeah, sure."

A/N:

ichigo this chapter while sporting an emo haircut: you were even _holding hands_ with him the other day at school (you're supposed to only hold hands with _me_ ) why keep him from us (from _me_ )? you blew us ( _me_ ) off just to be with him

I swear I got second hand embarrassment from writing this chapter lmao…remember kids, never jump to conclusions.

(also – I love Keigo)


End file.
